Chicken Milanese

Article by Layla Khoury-Hanold

Chicken Milanese is a classic Italian dish of thinly pounded, pan-fried breaded chicken cutlets topped with arugula, Parmesan and lemon. It’s the kind of simple yet delicious dinner that feels doable on a weeknight but is special enough to serve for a dinner party. Chicken Milanese is also versatile; it can be served hot alongside simple salads or roasted veggies, or cold or at room temperature, as with an elegant picnic Ree Drummond plans for her girlfriends. With Ree’s easy recipe, you’ll learn how to make restaurant-worthy chicken Milanese at home, including how to pound chicken cutlets, a fool-proof method for breading chicken cutlets and how long to cook chicken cutlets to ensure a golden-crisp finish.

How to Make Chicken Milanese Like a Pro

Prep the chicken cutlets and pound them as thinly as possible. Cut 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in half down the middle to make 4 cutlets. Pound the chicken cutlets with a meat mallet or rolling pin as thinly as you possibly can before the chicken starts to tear. This will ensure that the chicken cooks quickly, while staying juicy inside and crispy outside.

Prepare an assembly line for breading the cutlets. In one dish, whisk together all purpose flour, salt and pepper. In a second dish, whisk together eggs and milk. Add seasoned breadcrumbs to a third dish. Have one clean plate at the end for the finished breaded cutlets.

Bread the cutlets following a dry-wet-dry method. Sprinkle chicken cutlets with salt and pepper. Working with one cutlet at a time, turn the cutlet over in the flour and shake off excess so you get a nice, thin layer on both sides. Quickly dunk the cutlet in the egg-milk mixture, turning to coat. Then add the cutlets to the breadcrumbs, pressing gently to ensure that they adhere and that no chicken is showing.

Fry the breaded chicken cutlets in batches to ensure even browning. Ree fries the cutlets in a large non-stick skillet heated with a combination of olive oil and butter to give them a beautiful flavor and golden color. She works in batches to promote even browning, frying the cutlets 2 at a time, 2 to 3 minutes per side until they are perfectly golden brown.

Serve the chicken cutlets hot or cold with arugula, lemon and Parmesan. Chicken Milanese is delicious served hot right out of the skillet, but it also makes a perfectly portable picnic food that can be eaten at room temperature or cold. Serve with arugula, Parmesan and a lemon wedge for a balanced, flavorful bite.

What Is Chicken Milanese?

Chicken Milanese is a dish of thinly pounded, breaded and pan-fried chicken cutlets that is often served with arugula, lemon and Parmesan. Chicken Milanese, similar to veal Milanese, is named for Milanese, which is a style of Italian cooking featuring thinly pounded proteins that are dredged in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and pan-fried until golden. Pounding the chicken cutlets until they are very thin before frying ensures that they achieve chicken Milanese’s signature crispy outside, juicy within texture. For more information, check out our primer How to Tenderize Chicken.

How Long to Fry Thin Chicken Cutlets

In her chicken Milanese recipe, Ree fries thin chicken cutlets for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until they are cooked through and perfectly golden brown.

What to Serve with Chicken Milanese

Serve chicken Milanese with arugula, lemon and Parmesan, a simple green salad, rice pilaf, pasta or easy vegetable sides such as Ree’s Zucchini Caprese Sliders, Veggie-Packed Pasta or Roasted Vegetable Panzanella. Chicken Milanese also travels well and can be served cold or at room temperature with picnic-ready sides such as Ree’s Mediterranean Orzo Salad and Cold Roasted Veggies with Herbed Yogurt Dip.